In 2025, 34.54% of Belgian companies with 10 or more employees used at least one artificial intelligence technology, up from 24.71% a year earlier. Belgium now ranks 4th in Europe, well above the EU average (19.95%). A good signal — provided you look at what the average conceals.
1. A ten-point jump in a single year
The figure comes from the Belgian Digital Economy Overview 2026, published by the SPF Economie (Ministry of Economy). In twelve months, the share of companies using AI rose by almost ten points. Belgium now ranks 4th in Europe, behind Denmark (42.03%), Finland (37.82%) and Sweden (35.04%), and clearly above the European average. The momentum is real; adoption is no longer the preserve of a few pioneers.
2. The real gap is about size
Behind the average lies a divide. More than three quarters of large companies (76.41%) already use these technologies, against fewer than a third of small ones (28.82%). For an SME, the question is therefore no longer "should we get started", but "where to begin" — without a large data team or a group-sized budget.
3. Adopting a tool ≠ getting value from it
The most common uses are concrete: text analysis, content generation, workflow automation, marketing and sales, accounting and finance. But opening a tool creates no value in itself. The gain comes from integrating it into existing processes, measuring results, and sustaining it over time. That's our principle: we don't do AI for the sake of doing AI.
4. Where to start, concretely
Pick a single use case that is high-volume and low-risk — triaging incoming requests, recurring replies, a first draft of content. Put it in place, measure the time saved and the quality, then scale. The logic is three-step: set up, measure and adjust, evolve. One mastered use case beats ten open projects.
The AI lens — humans first
The ranking makes it clear: AI is spreading fast, but spread is not mastery. An assistant can write, sort, automate — it executes. Choosing the right use case, keeping a grip on quality and compliance, and growing the setup over time remain expert decisions. That is our stance: humans first, AI in support. AI executes. Expertise decides — and keeps watch.
This week
List three repetitive, time-consuming tasks from your week. For each, ask whether AI could handle part of it under supervision. Start with the one that combines the most volume and the least risk — that's where the return comes fastest.
Moving from one-off use to durable gains is our job. With Vistalaro Build, we put in place AI assistants and automations integrated into your tools, on solid and compliant foundations. With Vistalaro Pilot, a senior marketer steers the strategy and supports your teams so AI serves your results — not the other way round.
Where could AI save you time?
Together we identify two or three concrete use cases for your business, without jargon, and define where to begin.
Let's talk